theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast

100 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Unapologetically Me (Chidimma Ozor)

So friends, can you believe we made it to 100 episodes? Just you and I and our theTYPEAhippie community. What a gift! One of my dearest, best girlfriends Christine Fuller interviewed me for this episode. It was so much fun and it reminded me on the good days and the bad that I have the best folks in the world in my life. My heart is filled with love and gratitude for the journey of this podcast and because I'm so damn grateful to have all of you amazing souls to live life alongside.

It is bittersweetness (my word) that this will be the last episode I'm recording and sharing with you for a little while. You see, I want and need to elevate my podcasting game. I want to uplevel theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast so that I can do right by you and serve you better. This means I am giving myself the space of grace to actually learn how to properly produce a podcast which will take time, money, energy and attention. But don't fret, I will be back soon enough! Sending you love and light!

To connect with me:

* Website: www.thetypeahippie.com

 

99 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: More Than Enough (Lolade Siyonbola)

I came to know who Lolade Siyonbola was as many of you because she had the Yale Police Department called on her while she snoozed in a common room within the Yale Graduate School dorm. And the student who called the police on her, a white woman, had previously called the police on one of Lolade's friends, another black student. I wanted her to share why this matters and has to stop.

Bio coming soon.

98 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Holistic Healing (Dr Saudia Major & Michelle Buggs)

I had the learned about 3N1 Fitness before I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Saudia and Michelle. Several friends knew I was in the market for a new fitness center/studio and they suggested 3N1 Fitness. I went to the studio's grand opening and met the pair and invited them to be on the podcast.

Dr Saudia Major, a native of South Carolina, is a Clinical Psychologist at the Ann Arbor VA Hospital and Clinical Instructor at the University of Michigan, specializing in Geriatric & Health Psychology. She has lived with multiple sclerosis since 2003.  Dr Major uses her personal experiences of releasing over 100 lbs and living with MS to educate members of the community about behavioral techniques one can apply to obtain a greater quality of life. She has incorporated exercise into her life as part of her holistic disease management program. Dr Major is certain her exercise and nutrition programs have played a pivotal role in the effective management of her MS.

Michelle Buggs is a native of Illinois, Michelle excelled in basketball throughout high school and college. After graduating from Kent State University with a BA in Communications, Michelle became a Lifestyle Fitness Coach (LFC) as well as a certified group, TRX and spinning instructor. In 2006, she returned to competitive sports, competing in her first two figure competitions (genre of bodybuilding) with great success. Following her passion, Michelle competed in many shows over the coming years and earned her Professional status as an NGA Figure Athlete in 2013, and has gone on to place 1st in six of eight professional competitions. In 2017, she swept her season placing 1st in all three shows and defending two 1st place titles. Michelle enjoys sharing her love of fun and fitness with clients and the greater community. 

To connect with Dr Major and/or Michelle:

* Website: www.3n1fit.com

* Email: info@3n1fit.com

* Facebook: 3N1 Fitness

97 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Running for Michigan State Senate (Anuja Rajendra)

I remember the first time I heard Anuja Rajendra speak. I thought, I must have her on the podcast. She spoke of being a mother to four, a wife, a businesswoman and that she was running for Michigan State Senate. And I thought, "Oh yes you are!" Fast forward several months, I received a mailer about Anuja Rajendra running for Michigan State Senate. I reached out and you get to hear our conversation.

As the daughter of immigrants, a mother, a small business owner, and an activist, Anuja Rajendra's unique life experiences speak to the fabric of Washtenaw County’s vibrant community. She's a problem-solver and she will bring a fresh voice to the Michigan State Senate.

Her father came to Michigan from India with little other than a dream of a better life for their family in 1970. He earned his PhD from Michigan State University and worked as an engineer. Her mother was a schoolteacher in India and later stayed home with her three children. 

She was the first in her family to be born in America. But her parents struggled to make ends meet — something that many working families still know all too well today. So her grandparents cared for her in India for several years and she returned to Michigan at age six.

She has enormous gratitude for what this great state and country offered to her family. That’s why this was the only place she wanted to raise my children. She grew up in Okemos and graduated from public schools there. She was the vice-president of the local chapter of Young Democrats. She went on to earn both an engineering degree and an MBA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she played rugby.

Anuja's husband, Vijay Sankaran, was from New Jersey, but she convinced him to move to Michigan. They have lived in Ann Arbor for over two decades. They are the parents of two sons and two daughters we adopted after they were abandoned at a train station in India. Her children certainly provided her with plenty of material when she wrote the “Mom” column for The Ann.

In her career in both the private and non-profit sectors and as a volunteer and activist, she has tried to help nurture diverse communities. It has always been important to her to build spaces where people of all ages, races, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and genders have come together to find common ground and raise each other up.

Many people in Michigan and across the country are deeply frightened right now. The basic rights of women, LGBTQ folks, and people of color are under attack from the president, Congress, and our state government. Immigrants and refugees now live in fear that they or their loved ones will be hauled away and sent back to war-torn countries.

But even in these trying times, there is hope. It has brought out the best in people. She saw that when she took her eight-year-old son to the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. in January 2017. She saw that fighting to keep our kids safe as a member of Washtenaw County's Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

 

And that’s why, like so many women and people of color, Anuja was inspired to run for office for the first time in 2018. We need progressive, diverse, and inclusive leadership in state government. Washtenaw County should lead by example.

In the State Senate, she won’t be afraid to make bold decisions. Her first bill will be banning most concealed weapons in Michigan. It’s time for progressives to stop playing defense on issues and stand up for our values.

One of my core beliefs is that everyone must have a seat at the table. As a State Senator, Anuja will focus on inclusion to bridge and heal the diverse communities that make up Washtenaw County. And she will be proud to represent an area that she believes can be a model of progressivism, innovation, and intersectionality for all of Michigan.

We all have struggles. Like so many, her parents came here in search of the American Dream. They worked hard so that Anuja and her sisters could go to college and make a difference in the world.

Anuja has tried to honor their sacrifice by earning two degrees at U of M, working in the non-profit sector, starting a small business, and raising a family.

After the birth of her second child, she had a serious health scare. She was given too many opioids while recovering. This led to heart complications. Instead of nursing her newborn and taking care of her 18-month-old, she fought for her life in the Emergency Room. She was able to slowly recover, but had to have in-home nursing care for months.

Fortunately, she never developed an opioid addiction, but this experience gave her an understanding of what far too many families in Michigan are going through. And Anuha was shocked to learn that for all our medical advances, the U.S. still has one of the highest postpartum mortality rates in the world. The rates are even higher for women of color like herself. She could have been one of those statistics. And if her family didn’t have good health insurance, she probably would have been.

That was a very frightening time for her young family. And it ended up inspiring her to start her business, BollyFit, and focus on a humanistic approach to health and wellness as a way to create a more peaceful world.

A decade earlier, she started her first company, Moon-Baked Creations, at age 24. That was just after the untimely death of my sister. The Rachana Rajendra Bird Sanctuary at Michigan State University is named for her in a beautiful tribute. As Anuja was grieving, she decided to help people engage using art as therapy to improve mental health and community connections. She has always tried to emerge from challenges stronger and more determined to help others.

After selling her business, she decided to pursue an MBA at U of M’s Ross School of Business. She established herself as a student leader, serving as president and co-chair of multiple organizations and bringing elite business schools across the country together for a massive food drive. She co-authored a Wharton-published case study on public-private partnerships to help alleviate public health crises. She was honored to be chosen to deliver a commencement speech for her graduating MBA class at Crisler Arena in 2004.

She has years of experience working in the business and nonprofit sectors. She was a successful leader at American Power Conversion Corp., a Fortune 500 company, where she created a customer satisfaction program that was implemented nationally. As Development Director for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, she achieved a record-breaking sponsorship rate, expanding not only the base, but the diversity of donors.

Anuja feels that her life’s work has been to decrease the toxic stress prevalent in society today and improve the lives of people in Michigan, especially underserved and immigrant populations. She has focused on empowering women and children to be healthier mentally and physically, and to realize their untapped potential. She has taken her work one step further by training other men and women so they can improve the health of their own communities.

And so in 2007, Anuja started BollyFit, a fitness and dance studio in Ann Arbor. We have mobilized thousands of Michiganders to feel healthier through grassroots community organizing. She also helped Meryl Davis and Charlie White, two Michiganders on Team USA, win a silver medal for ice dancing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics with a program that bridged cultures.

BollyFit has grown to have a global presence with our empowerment skills training. Anuja has been asked to give speeches about her experiences to several groups, including TEDxDetroit and in a commencement address for Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.   

 

Learning is a lifelong process and Anuja has always enthusiastically sought out opportunities to expand her knowledge and the efforts of my community.

Helping others has always been a top priority for Anuja. She was appointed to the Governor’s statewide council on physical fitness and the State of Play task force formed by the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation and Aspen Institute on the health and nutrition of Michigan’s youth and underserved populations. In 2015, she received a Congressional Award and was inducted into the Michigan Indian Women’s Hall of Fame for my contributions to health and wellness in Michigan.

She haas volunteered for many schools, libraries, and community service organizations. She has collaborated with nonprofits, small businesses, and schools, such as Beaumont Hospital, Ann Arbor Active Against ALS, and Mitch Albom’s S.A.Y. Clinic, to serve Michigan communities. Anuja is a mentor with Walker’s Legacy, assisting women entrepreneurs. She is also an Ambassador for University of Michigan’s LEAD Scholars Program to support diversity and people of color.

Anuja has been active in progressive and Democratic causes, starting with her time leading the local Young Dems chapter in high school. She has volunteered for Democratic campaigns, including those of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. Working at the grassroots level has always inspired her and she's been proud to organize for groups like Moms Demand Action and the Ann Arbor Advocacy Group.

When Anuja decided to run for State Senate in 2018, she was so humbled by the support she received from people from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti and everywhere in between. She knows she is not a household name. She's also not a longtime public official or a party insider.

She's a mom, a small businesswoman, and a problem-solver. And she thinks working people and middle-class families in Washtenaw County are looking for change. They want someone who believes our diversity is our greatest strength and in giving everyone a seat at the table.

She is running for State Senate because we need a new way and a fresh, inclusive voice. That’s what we need in Washtenaw County if we want to make real, meaningful, and progressive change in our state.

Anuja believes in the best in people. And she will never give up. That’s why she wants to be your State Senator.

 

To connect with Anuja:

* Instagram: @anuja.rajendra

* Twitter: @Anuja_Rajendra

96 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Speaking Truth to Power (Jessica Kapp, PhD)

I came across Professor Jessica Kapp when I found out about a watchlist and that Dr Kapp was on said watchlist. I reached out to hear her side of the story.

Jess Kapp earned her PhD in geology at UCLA in 2004. Her research combined field mapping with U-Pb geochronology to study the history of the Nyainqentanglha mountain range in southern Tibet. Early on she discovered a love for teaching and is currently a senior lecturer and the associate department head in the department of geosciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she teaches introductory geology and historical geology. She and her husband, a fellow geologist, have two young sons, ages 12 and 10. Jess writes fiction and non-fiction, and is currently finishing a memoir about how the death of her father, finding
geology, and her high-altitude field adventures in Tibet changed her life. 

To connect with Professor Kapp:

* Website: www.jesskapp.com

* Faculty Profile

* Facebook: Jess Kapp

* Twitter: @Jess_Kapp

* Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jess-kapp

95 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Gender Harassment (Lilia Cortina, PhD)

I met Professor Lilia Cortina through our work at the ADVANCE Program at the University of Michigan and I was always impressed with her talks and the research she does on gender harassment and its implications in academia.

Dr Cortina's research centers around the victimization of individuals (especially women) in the social context of work. She focuses in particular on the process by which sexual harassment unfolds, investigating women’s experiences of gender disparagement, unwanted sexual overtures, and sexual coercion in organizations. Dr Cortina also studies non-sexual abuses in the workplace, particularly incivility – i.e., low-level injustices that can accumulate over time to have a significant negative impact on victims.

To connect with Professor Cortina:

* Faculty Profile

* Website: The Cortina Lab

94 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Out and Free (Anthony Guillen)

First off, I love Anthony Guillen for so many reasons - his authenticity and vulnerability, his love for humanity and makeup and his humor. We met through a mutual friend and I'm so grateful.

Anthony Guillen resides in Phoenix, AZ. He was born in South Central LA and prides himself with being a child of Salvadoran immigrants. Anthony has a Bachelors and Masters in Social Work and is fluent in English and Spanish. He is a passionate, gay, social activist and a lover of people. He is a therapist and works with children and families in a community health agency. Anthony believes that all people are enough, loved and worthy. He believes every child deserves to be loved and is entitled to it. Anthony dreams of being on the board of education in Arizona and attaining a PhD in Education Development. Anthony prides himself on expressing his gender fluidly and living as he truly is. Some of Anthony’s favorites include singing, arts and crafts, make-up, coffee and flower printed button-ups. Anthony aims to shed light on discussions of the LGBTQ+ community, privilege, trauma, immigration and gender expression.

 

To connect with Anthony:

 

* Instagram: @anthonythebrownie

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93 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: College 101: Access, Power and Money (Lauren Schandevel)

A collective of students developed a misguided guide on budgeting whom many thought was tone deaf and insensitive. Several students "clapped back" with a guide of their own which is how I came to know Lauren Schandevel.

Lauren Schandevel is a rising senior at the University of Michigan studying Public Policy with a minor in Community Action and Social Change. Originally from a working-class suburb of Detroit, Lauren's activism on campus is devoted to empowering and advocating for lower-income students.

 

To connect with Lauren:

 

* Facebook (for our organization): AffordabilityUMICH

* Email: schandla@umich.edu

92 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Art, Soul Connecting and Real Life (Elena Brower)

Elena Brower is one of those people that you just feel grounded, safe and seen around. She has come from a place of lack and worry to fully own a place of abundance and gratitude. She's humble, loving, tolerant and has a quiet strength about her that is contagious. She's generous with her time and energy and is authentic and vulnerable which always opens the door wider for others to be as well.

Mama, teacher, author, speaker and Presidential Diamond leader with dōTERRA, Elena has taught yoga since 1999. Her first book, Art of Attention, has been ranked number one in design on Amazon, and has now been translated into six languages. Elena's second book, Practice You: A Journal, is a bestseller from Sounds True, now being incorporated into teaching curricula worldwide for all ages.

Her Elevate Mentorship Program is beloved for adding analog creativity to online coursework. Elena has contributed to Yoga Journal, Yoga International, Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Well and Good NYC, Positively Positive, and more. Listen to her Audio Courses on Sounds True, and practice with Elena on YogaGlo.com.

To connect with Elena:

* Website: https://elenabrower.com

 

91 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Restoring Humanity to Healthcare (Rushika Fernandopulle, MD)

I have known Rushika Fernandopulle, MD for nearly seven years and I worked for Iora Health for almost six years. He's a man of integrity, humility and seeks to provide support for humanity and he's a lot of fun. When I lived in Las Vegas, NV I always looked forward to his visits to the Las Vegas practices because his insight was unique, practical and humane.

Rushika Fernandopulle, MD is a physician who has spent more than ten years involved in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare delivered to patients. He was the first Executive Director of the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement, and served as a Managing Director of the Advisory Board Company. He serves on the faculty and earned his AB, MD, and MPP from Harvard University. He completed his clinical training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. 

 

To connect with Iora Health:

* Website: www.iorahealth.com